The demilitarized zone is like?

What does the demilitarized zone mean? This concept means the special status of certain territories on which the armed forces are not located. They do not conduct combat maneuvers, there are no military installations. Such a status of the territory is fixed by international treaties or other, including domestic, acts.

History of appearance

What is the demilitarized zone? This concept has a wide meaning. For the first time this term appeared in the literature of an international legal nature after the end of the First World War. Subsequently, it began to apply to territories that had previously fallen under this concept.

The very term "demilitarization" was introduced in 1919. at the Paris Peace Conference. Then it was created for convenient identification of the regime that was applied in the Rhine zone. It was in this territory, according to international agreements, that Germany had no right to deploy its troops or fortifications.

Definition value

The demilitarized zone is a concept in the Westernliterature has two different meanings. The first of them means the withdrawal of troops, military organizations and institutions from any territory. The second meaning - liberation from military control or control, as well as the establishment of civilian power.

According to the explanations of the Great Encyclopedicvocabulary of Larousse, to demilitarization include a measure of security established by international treaties or agreements that provide for the prohibition in a certain zone of all military activities.

Adoption of legal acts

Conclusion of contracts or agreements on the absencetroops in a certain territory is carried out by the states concerned. At the same time, the demilitarized zone is not always a region where military activities are completely prohibited. Sometimes international treaties simply limit the number of military fortifications and troops.

L. Oppenheim also reveals the notion of the term "demilitarization". According to his explanations, this concept means an agreement concluded between two or several states, which obliges the governments of these countries not to keep troops within a certain zone and not to create defensive fortifications there. The main purpose of such contracts is, as a rule, the prevention of military conflicts.

Border demilitarization zones

In international practice, there is a largenumber of agreements, the subject of which is the creation of a special territory along state borders. The border demilitarized zone separates the armed forces of neighboring countries, allowing to avoid clashes and prevent a war.

An example of such a terrain can serve as a neutral zone with a width of twenty-five kilometers, which was formed in 1905 between Norway and Sweden on the territory of both states.

Other options

There are other options. In some cases, the demilitarized zones were established only on one side of the border. In this territory, the threat of an attack on neighboring countries was eliminated. An example of this can serve as the Rhine demilitarized zone. It was established in 1919. The Treaty of Versailles was the basis for withdrawal from this territory. The zone covered the territory of Germany, located on the left bank of the River Rhine, as well as a strip fifty kilometers wide on the right bank. In this area it was forbidden to deploy German troops, build fortifications and conduct maneuvers.

7.03.1936 Germany introduced its troops to the Rhine demilitarized zone, refusing unilaterally from the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles. To General von Blomberg, who carried out this operation, Hitler conferred the rank of marshal.

Complete demilitarization

There is an article in the UN Charter that prohibitsnot only the threat of force, but also its application. It is for its observance and demilitarization of certain territories is carried out. Such a zone can cover whole islands, which are of great strategic importance. If international agreements are not violated, then in these territories the use of force or its threat is simply ruled out.

After the end of World War II, the term ""Demilitarization" has somewhat expanded. He began to apply to the whole state. What does the demilitarized zone mean in this case? This term includes the complete destruction of the military-industrial complex of a country in the presence of certain international acts. So, the Potsdam and Yalta decisions of the three great powers - the USA, the USSR and Great Britain - proclaimed the demilitarization of Germany. These documents provided for the liquidation of military organizations and institutions, all troops and weapons, ammunition and specialized facilities in German territory.

USA in 1946 prepared their own draft treaty on the demilitarization of Germany. This document ran counter to the main provisions of the Potsdam Agreement. Despite the proposals of the Soviet side to revise the project, the United States disrupted negotiations and made the FRG part of the aggressive North Atlantic bloc. At the same time, America openly began to revive German militarism.

Creation of non-atomic zones

In the modern period, demilitarization has acquiredspecial significance. In connection with the emergence of a new type of weaponry, the problem of creating non-atomic territories became topical. What does the demilitarized zone mean under the new conditions? These are measures aimed at banning the use of various types of nuclear weapons in isolated areas where the international situation is tense. The creation of such zones allows avoiding military conflicts, which may result in the beginning of a nuclear war. In addition, the creation of such demilitarized territories pursues other goals. In particular, these agreements are important steps towards the prohibition of all types of nuclear weapons.

Thus, in 1957 The plan for the creation of such a zone was put forward by Poland. This state extended a memorandum, which provided for a ban on the production, stockpiling and importation of nuclear weapons into the territory of some European states. In addition to Poland, this list included Czechoslovakia, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
The government of the USSR supported the peace initiative. The GDR and Czechoslovakia agreed to sign the agreement. The proposal to create an atom-free zone was supported by the democratic forces of Western states, as well as by some military experts. However, despite this, the contract was not signed. He rejected the governments of Western countries.

To date, there is only onean agreement that provides for an atom-free zone. It is the Antarctic Treaty. The signing of this document took place on 1.12.1959. According to the terms of this agreement, it is forbidden to conduct any military actions in the Antarctic, to test any kind of weapons and to conduct even non-military tests. Let this territory be uninhabited, but the 1959 agreement is a good start, laying the right path.

List of demilitarization zones

Currently, between the Spanish territoriesMelilla and Ceuta, as well as northern Morocco, there is a territory on which there are no military installations and troops are not deployed. The zone of demilitarization, as already mentioned, is the entire continent of Antarctica. Asia also has its own demilitarized zone. Korea in this territory since 1953 is divided into the South and North. There are no troops on the border of Thailand and Cambodia, as well as in the border areas of Iraq and Kuwait. Zones of complete demilitarization are located on the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

There are no armed forces and on someterritories of Europe. An example of this is the UN zone, located on the island of Cyprus, as well as a strip of terrain on the border between Kosovo and Serbia. Since 1920 under the administration of Norway is the demilitarized territory of the Spitsbergen archipelago.

As early as 1856 The Paris Peace Treaty approved the absence of military organizations on the Åland Islands. And this happened with unilateral commitments on the part of Russia. This status of the territory of Finland was also recognized by the Soviet Union.

There is a demilitarized zone in Ukraine. It is located between this state and the Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublika.

The urgency of demilitarization

To date, the most acute issue of our time is the problem of the likelihood of military conflicts, as well as the militarization of the economic sphere.
After all, an arms race is costly for mankind. The military conflicts that occurred between 1945 and 1990, claimed the lives of almost ten million people.

Global confrontation, which weakened afterthe collapse of the USSR and the liquidation of the Warsaw agreements, was replaced by local conflicts of religious, ethnic and territorial nature. At the same time, many countries possess nuclear weapons, which are extremely dangerous for peace throughout the world. That is why the issue of demilitarization, which is a convenient solution for the elimination of armed conflicts, does not lose its relevance.

Computer demilitarization

To date, almost does not existcompanies that do not have access to the worldwide Internet. This is a common technology, with which you can quickly find the right information, exchange data and documents, which can significantly improve the work.

However, there is a downside. During the use of the World Wide Web, it is necessary to protect the transmitted information. That's why you need a demilitarized network zone (DMZ) at any company scale. The principle of its work is simple. Usually users get to the Internet helps the router. The demilitarized zone will then be a separate subnet that has no connection with either the local network or the World Wide Web. This method will protect information from unauthorized access.